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Summer’s coming...

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Hi everybody and welcome to the Summer 2013 E-Zine from JRC and Gulp Carp Bait. In the next few pages you will find we have tried to include helpful features on new ideas and approaches, balanced with some Carpy tales that show what happens when everything falls into place. Many of you will be going abroad on a summer fishing adventure, so we have information on how to prepare for this and also have some of our experiences from Team JRC/GULP’s annual trip to Crystal Waters in France. If there is anything you feel we have missed that you would like to see in future issues of our Ezine, then please email gulpcarparmy@purefishing.com and we will see what we can do!...

Summer’s coming...

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LONG RANGE BAITING-

Ellis Brazier

Ellis Brazier

The Penn Affinity 7000 coupled with the Extreme Shuttle spod rod are perfectly matched tools for the job of delivering spods at range. Add the Nanofil line to this combination with a strong shock leader and it’s possible to achieve accurate baiting at even the most extreme ranges. Always protect your casting finger with a golf glove or a finger stall.

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To keep a consistent spod weight I always try to judge as near as possible the same amount of baits in the spod on each cast. This helps me to judge the same power on every occasion, maximising accuracy. Note the washed out Gulp! Red Crustacean Boilies...A killer bait everywhere!

Instead of following one of the over used routines of either spodding beds of seeds and small particles or using a throwing stick to create a spread of scattered baits, the method of spodded boilies can be a welcome and beneficial change. In this picture note the flat spots created by the spod plug of crushed pellet as the boilies are delivered accurately at distance.

I like using hemp and halibut crush

moistened down with sweet corn juice and lake

water (pictured above) to cap off my spod every chuck. Soaked

pellet will also do this job of plugging the spod to stop boilie spray in flight

ensuring that all the baits are delivered to the exact spot time after time. A few

grains of sweetcorn are included to give the baited area another colour and taste

dimension.

8 Ellis Braziertight lines...

Heavy shock leaders of 65lb Whiplash, coupled with the Nanofil, are the ultimate tools for the job. Not only does the Nanofil give you all the benefits of standard braid where zero stretch is concerned but it is super thin for its strength as well. On top of this Nanofil is arguably the most castable super line ever created and will put yards on your casting range.

Ellis Brazier

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To give all you carp anglers out there a brief history of this famous manufacturer, Berkley was founded in Spirit Lake, Iowa, by 16 year old Berkley Bedell. It is now the flagship Line brand of fishing tackle powerhouse Pure Fishing, creating and innovating some of the best lines out on the market today. Its lines span almost every discipline of the sport from carp to coarse, saltwater to game, Berkley has all bases covered!

To most Big

Game was, and still is to many, the original carp line. Its reputation of being tough as old boots, reliable and the ability to hold a knot in extreme situations has seen many carp anglers put pen to paper for books over a period of decades. To this day the formula may have changed slightly embracing new techniques of manufacturing and materials but the ethos of this line stays the same “iconic”!

Whiplash is without questions the number one Spod braid, winning award after award year on year. This low diameter, high breaking strain braid can outcast all other braids on the market, and is used now by all the top pros! Its low diameter construction is formed by tightly woven Micro Dyneema fibres, infused with a low visibility green colour.

innovation & excellence through time...

To give all you carp anglers out there a brief history of this famous manufacturer, Berkley was founded in Spirit Lake, Iowa, by 16 year old Berkley Bedell. It is now the flagship Line brand of fishing tackle powerhouse Pure Fishing, creating and innovating some of the best lines out on the market today. Its lines span almost every discipline of the sport from carp to coarse, saltwater to game, Berkley has all bases covered!

To most Big

Game was, and still is to many, the original carp line. Its reputation of being tough as old boots, reliable and the ability to hold a knot in extreme situations has seen many carp anglers put pen to paper for books over a period of decades. To this day the formula may have changed slightly embracing new techniques of manufacturing and materials but the ethos of this line stays the same “iconic”!

innovation & excellence through time...

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Fluorocarbon has now been on the market for many years, but if you look back at the Berkley timeline we were one of the first manufacturers to introduce this fish catching machine! Over time and modifications to the formula Berkley now has one of the finest fluoros ever to grace a big pit reel…. Trilene Fluorocarbon is now the bench mark to many others, extremely limp with amazing cast-ability coupled with fast sink technology (it’s heavy) Trilene goes out but doesn’t stand out, meaning more fish for you on the bank!

- 1959 Trilene line first introduced

- 1972 Trilene XL first introduced

- 1978 Trilene XT first introduced

- 1985 Big Game first introduced

- 1996 Fireline first introduced

- 1999 Vanish Fluorocarbon first introduced

- 2002 Whiplash first introduced

- 2008 Trilene Fluorocarbon first introduced

- 2011 Nanofil first introduced

Fluorocarbon has now been on the market for many years, but if you look back at the Berkley timeline you will see we were one of the first manufacturers to introduce this fish catching machine! Over time and modifications to the formula Berkley now has one of the finest fluoros ever to grace a big pit reel….Trilene Fluorocarbon is now the bench mark to many others, extremely limp with amazing casting abilities coupled with fast sink technology (it’s heavy) Trilene goes out but doesn’t stand out, meaning more fish for you on the bank!

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The development of seven years research and formulation in the making,

Berkley have partnered with the legendary DSM

facility to bring a new formulation of fishing line, it’s not mono,

it’s not braid and it’s not fluorocarbon,Berkley engineers have named Nano in its own category “Uni-Filament”≠

Nano is fused using a heat process that binds over 300 fibres together – most manufacturers would use glue – however with Berkley’s patented process these fibres will not come apart like most others. To sum up the science, Nano casts further with less effort; spods/leads will sail off into the distance because Nano is so thin that there is far less resistance or drag/friction. It’s smooth outer means that it is highly abrasion-resistance and the recommend knot for ultimate strength is the double Palomar! For joining to fluoro or mono leaders Berkley recommend the Allbright double. In amongst all the science, this line has just picked up the EFFTEX award for best new product innovation. Praise indeed!

To sum up Nanofil it will cast further than anything out there #Fact! As the science explains there is very little friction, meaning less drag (check out the videos attached in the link for a little demo of Nano casting marker floats and solid PVA bags, the float goes out 140yds with no effort and the solid bag is more!) Through testing this fantastic product we have found that the best way of using it is with a 65lb leader (Whiplash) and always ensuring that you double your knots and test vigorously (See packaging for recommended knots)

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I had already had my ticket for the Carp Society’s Farriers Lake in the Cotswolds for a couple of years and had caught some nice fish in the limited time I have. With a house, child and a demanding full time job, time was precious and I was limited to mid-week overnighters, with the chance of the odd midday start!My main motivation was provided by a guy called Kevin who had during the winter captured a 40lb plus common that had been on the missing list for some time. The fish called John Doe was a big broad, bullish male common with the most amazing heart shaped tail. If I ever needed a target ‘JD’ was it and I decided using my limited time to focus on trying to catch this one. The advantage I had was that the water had lots of lovely big Carp in it so hopefully I would snare a few others along the way. I had decided to use the Squid & Liver bait from Berkley for my time on the water, and to use 20 mm baits just to try and be a bit different.

By Simon Morris

28LB 12oz

My first session coincided with the lake being very busy. I managed to get a reasonable swim fishing into a very weedy bay. It took quite a lot of leading about to find somewhere I could get my two rods out, safe in the knowledge I had a reasonable ‘drop’. It took nearly an hour to get the spot identified and baited. I had taken to using a Spomb, just so the sky rats (seagulls) didn’t get the baits. I did not expect quick results with so much bait going in but barely an hour later the bobbin pulled up and I was in! With the spot surrounded with weed the fight was a fairly dour affair and after clearing the net, I revealed a Common of barely double figures. Not exactly what I was hoping for but it did tell me that the baits were in an area that was clear for Carp to feed on and this gave me added confidence for the night ahead. Unfortunately the alarm went for my early pack up and the bobbins were exactly where I had left them the night before. I hurried my stuff into the car in order to travel the hour and a quarter up the M5 home, help my son get ready for school and then off to work for 8.30am!

By Simon Morris

28LB 12oz

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One of the biggest battles I have is staying in tune with the water. With out the advantage of regular sessions or even walks around the water it is difficult to align with its moods. That might sound strange but being able

to know where the fish are grouped, whose been fishing or baiting in certain areas is a real bonus when it comes to swim choice. Luckily though during this period there was a great bunch of lads fishing the lake and most were happy to ‘share the wealth’ when it came to information.

For the next two or three sessions I felt I was close to the fish but not really in with a shout. It was mainly due to me arriving late and my swim choice being on the ‘out skirts of the action’. There were also a lot of fish being caught on floaters and again this did not really suit my available fishing time. The bait was working as two of my friend’s Dean and Roy had both caught thirty plus Commons using it. It was going in regularly as we all fished at different times so that was a real positive to cling on to.

JRC CONSULTANT ROY ALLEN

For the latest trip I was hopping in the van of a good friend Mike who had just joined the syndicate and was on one of his first trips! We arrived in style with a large breakfast on the way and were soon doing the circuit to see what we could find. There were several fish in the weed along the top bank area and also on the final stretch of our walk we found a large quantity of fish in one reedy corner. After a few minutes of watching them it was clear they had other things on their mind and were swimming around in groups at a high rate of knots! We decide to push the gear around to the far bank area and leave the cavorting Carp in peace.

BINGO!

I was worried that as the season went on and the nights start to pull in the effectiveness of my fishing would decrease as I would have to set up in the dark. I really needed to focus my efforts and this is when I got a lucky break. Well to be honest it was a double edged sword as my target fish came out to a floater at just over 40lbs. The capture ended up in Carptalk and while I read it I cursed my lack of time as one fact about the capture jumped off the page. It had been caught from a swim only two down from where Kevin had caught it during the winter. I am not a massive believer in coincidence so I decide to focus on the swims in this area of the lake. Now peg 10 was a key swim and it was rare for it to be free. To the right of it was a lovely bay and in the entrance to this was a clay bar area that always seemed to remain weed free. You could nearly always see fish in the area during the summer days and as a result it was to say the least popular!!! With my late arrival times I had written off the possibility of getting in to ‘pole position’ and would have to settle for 8, 9, or 11, 12 that were in a similar area although did not give you access to the bar! I managed to slot into 8 for a night and saw nothing except the angler in 10 catching! With work being very busy I had to do a couple of weekends away and I decided to split the days I was owed into halves and try to get to the lake soon after midday instead of at 7pm.

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My hook bait was a small GULP! Pineapple pop-up which I cast over the top of a couple of pouch full’s of 20mm Squid & Liver Boilies. The fish were used to seeing bait in this area and I did not want to give them too much choice. I also felt the smaller hook bait would be a different approach to what I had been previously using. The bait had not been in the water long and I started to see signs of interest. I was pretty sure they were liners and one actually held the bobbin at the top. After this

I could not settle thinking the hook bait may have been ‘dragged’ into the weed so it had to come in!! Attaching a PVA bag of foam nuggets before the recast ensured that the pop up would settle on top of any debris, and also I could check the nuggets came to the top, tight to the edge of the weed.

Again the action came quickly and this time the bobbin shot to the top held there, and the spool started ticking away! I picked up the rod and pulled into the fish which started to come in quite easily. At this point I was joined in the swim by another guy who was walking around. He respectfully stayed quietly in the back ground as I concentrated on

playing the fish. There was a fair amount of weed between me and it, and I kept the rod high and tried to keep the hooked fish moving. When I first had the run the thought of a Tench went through my mind as there had been a lot caught recently, but with one slow roll I saw the top fin and humped back of a big Common. The fish was now quite close and was burrowing down in weed bed close in. My new companion offered to net it for me as he already had his chest waders

on. Mine were ready to slip on

My hook bait was a small GULP! Pineapple pop-up which I cast over the top of a couple of pouch full’s of 20mm Squid & Liver Boilies. The fish were used to seeing bait in this area and I did not want to give them too much choice. I also felt the smaller hook bait would be a different approach to what I had been previously using. The bait had not been in the water long and I started to see signs of interest. I was pretty sure they were liners and one actually held the bobbin at the top. After this

I could not settle thinking the hook bait may have been ‘dragged’ into the weed so it had to come in!! Attaching a PVA bag of foam nuggets before the recast ensured that the pop up would settle on top of any debris, and also I could check the nuggets came to the top, tight to the edge of the weed.

as always but I did not hesitate in taking up his offer. He took a few slow careful steps forward and then carefully scooped up the fish and then I got a good look at him, it looked huge! Mike had already reeled in and was on his way round having heard the commotion and the angler from the next swim popped around as well. As soon as it was lifted into the JRC XL HI-Care Mat I knew I had a PB Common, it was simply massive. With my new found friend on ‘goal keeping’ duty and Mike with the camera I held him up and the obligatory pictures were taken!! It was John Doe caught from his favourite area of the lake. Slightly down in weight from his previous capture he scored 39LB 7oz. I was over the moon as you can imagine, and was also confident of another chance during the night but alas nothing else came along. I was pleased that being in the right area and changing things around had really paid off. I decided to continue with the same approach through the rest of the year and I managed a couple of extra nice fish before I relinquished my ticket in the spring of the following year, I had greatly enjoyed my couple of years in the Cotswolds and walked away with an English 39LB Common and a new PB. In addition to this a collection of new mates that will last a life time.

.John Doe 39lb 7oz

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James Vincent

As a youth I babbed for eels on the Little Ouse, for years being taught to be patient and leave my bait in situ as I could be moving my baited wool away from a hungry eel that was about to bite. Older and wiser I now tend to do completely the opposite as I get bored spending too much time in one swim waiting for something to happen. I am always looking for a sign to tell me to move or approach the situation differently to get that bite.Stalking, the art of finding fish and catching them at close quarters, has to be my favourite method and one I always employ wherever I am fishing. I have watched and learned from my experiences over the years, both in failure and success, that being mobile really is the way forward. Always have your eyes peeled for opportunities, read any book or speak to any angler and there will always be the lucky fish that they wouldn’t of caught if they hadn’t done this or tried that. You need to understand that it isn’t luck and learning when these opportunities may arise is all part of that all important ‘Watercraft’.There is no better time to be at the lake than first light and so much can be learnt in the hours that most other anglers are either asleep on their bedchairs or making their respective journeys to the lakes. Just being awake isn’t enough though you need to look for signs of fish or better still, signs of fish feeding. The early morning calm surface will give away the pin-prick bubblers or the vortexes created as fish go about their daily routines.

My JRC Contact Accessory pouch loaded with essential terminal tackle, pva, and my small camera.

James Vincent

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Casting to showing fish has often resulted in takes before I have even managed to get the rod on the rest saving a blank. Even casting to shows after dark has done the business for me, although it is sometimes hard to decide which rod you are going to move, with most anglers not taking the trouble and therefore not reaping the rewards. I have separate tackle for my stalkabout, overnight and session fishing. I even have rods made up ready for certain lakes at certain times of the year.Luckily for me we have two ranges of luggage which I use to my advan-tage. My ‘contact rucksack’ is large enough to hold all of my stalking gear. In grabbing this I have all I need to catch a fish in a whole host of different situations when mobile.I also have a Contact Rod Sling loaded with rods ready for stalking. In this I always have three different setups all ready to fish. If the fish are in the upper layers the zig rod is the first out closely followed by the surface fishing rod. If I find fish feeding in the margins on the spots I have previously baited the conventional bottom bait setup is deployed. As stated I am looking for a quick bite and stalking gives me the buzz of actually finding my quarry and making them slip up, better still is watching it happen from behind the reed line. Being mobile really is where it’s at, it’s not about just sitting and waiting, it’s about constantly changing the variables until you find a successful formula that gets the results you strive for. Even whilst session fishing I will always have the rucksack and quiver in the van ready for a wander.

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Being asked to write about a hook can be a very difficult thing to do. It’s not the words that are hard to find just the fact that making what you write seem interesting can be hard. I did not want to write a piece either that just reads like an advert simply detailing the range and stockists. I wanted to write more from honest experience and trust built through years of confident use and in this instance I can say that when I was asked to write a piece on Owner hooks it made me have a wry smile and a quick “no problem answer”.The reason for this confident answer was simply down to experience and knowledge of a product that I have come to rely on for more years than I can remember.

ELLIS BRAZIER

ELLIS BRAZIER

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It was around 1990 that I was introduced to the

world of Owner hooks and I must say that our first introduction was not on

good terms. I was angling on a large low stock wa-ter in the midlands where if you were lucky enough to catch one of the twelve known carp in the 25 acre water each year, you had every right to consider yourself lucky. The year before had been very lean for me with only one missed stalking opportunity to show for the days and nights of effort I had put in and at the point that my love affair with the owners started things had got even worse. I had spent my time in the close season baiting and watching those elusive carp and from the off on June the 16th I had been on the fish more often than not. The only problem was I had not landed a single one and it was now September! Four carp had been hooked and played on my rods only for each one to come adrift as things started to look as though my duck was to

be broken, I was in bits almost reduced to tears. One bite a year was good, two was outstanding but four

was unbelievable. Things were desperate and my confidence was at rock bottom, I actually felt

nervous when playing a carp knowing that the chances are it would soon fall off.

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It was now late September and one of the guys who fished the lake had just come back from the States where he had been on holiday. I was set up in a swim known as The Beach at one corner of the lake and over the course of the last few weeks I had patiently been feeding in hemp on a daily basis. As I sat telling him of my tale of woe we could see plumes of bubbles sheeting up over the area I had baited. The main problem was though the thick weed bed between me and the feeding area. As I finished my tale he turned and said what hooks are you using? I told him I had run through all my old favourites and none had worked, all had let me down. In answer to my moaning he dug deep in his recently restocked tackle box and produced a packet of hooks he had bought in the States,” check these out mate, They are called Flyliners and they are made by Owner. You will never bend one and once they are in they aren’t coming out! I even used these to catch sea fish over in the States”. I soon had a few rigs tied up with Owner hooks on, all nicely line aligned with a small piece of plastic tube (shrink was not available then) and as we sat talking away the afternoon I cast one out onto the patch. Time marched on and as my friend stood up to leave he turned to look at my rods and said “that rod should have gone by now” As the words left his mouth the bobbin rose and that rod pulled around indicating a bite. I felt sick playing the carp as I knew the weed bed had to be crossed to land the fish and with my recent track record things didn’t look good. As the fish started to tire Matt turned to me and said “pull him over the weed then mate and don’t worry he’s on an Owner”. It may have only weighed 18lbs odd but that carp was a turning point in my confidence and season, four more carp were landed that year for me all on the Flyliners with no more lost.

Time moves on and so does our choice of hook patterns, sure like all anglers I have had my fads and changed shape and design of hook many times but like a trusted friend when ever my confidence has been rocked by a series of losses I am straight back on the Owners. I use the entire range with confidence and can honestly say that I have never straightened one on any fish let alone carp. They all have their place in my armoury with the Flyliner still being made but now called Carpliners, a good all round trusted hook. My snowman set ups that I so love and trust work fantastic with the C-3 extended with shrink tube in a Withy fashion and my pop up rig utilizes the savagely sharp CT-5 with its sealed eye and concealing Teflon coat. All in all a range of hooks that have helped me land more carp than I can ever remember.

Time moves on and so does our choice of hook patterns, sure like all anglers I have had my fads and changed shape and design of hook many times but like a trusted friend when ever my confidence has been rocked by a series of losses I am straight back on the Owners. I use the entire range with confidence and can honestly say that I have never straightened one on any fish let alone carp. They all have their place in my armoury with the Flyliner still being made but now called Carpliners, a good all round trusted hook. My snowman set ups that I so love and trust work fantastic with the C-3 extended with shrink tube in a Withy fashion and my pop up rig utilizes the savagely sharp CT-5 with its sealed eye and concealing Teflon coat. All in all a range of hooks that have helped me land more carp than I can ever remember.

Ellis Braizertight lines...

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Roy Allen gives us his advice on

taking care of our quarry...

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A priceless edition to my fish care equipment is the JRC foldable Water bucket. The JRC bucket pictured here packs down nice and small inside my XL HI-Care Mat, saving

me loads of space when compared to a

standard bucket. You need to keep the fish as moist as possible for the short length of time that they are on the bank, and this

does the job perfectly.

In my

opinion,The JRC XL

HI-Care Mat provides the

ultimate protection for fish once

on the bank. It packs down to

a reasonable size for such

a large product, making

it ideal on the barrow, yet

once unfolded becomes

very sturdy and

practical thanks to

its design.

Something which i always use

on my trips to venues that contain heavy carp is

the JRC Weigh tripod. I can accurately read the weight of my capture and have my hands free to stabilize the

fish in the weigh sling.

One of the best inventions in angling... the retention sling.

Gone are the days of using carp sacks for the short term retention of your catch. The JRC Retention Sling has a major benefit in that

it drains the water out FAST. I use mine to weigh the fish, using the

belly straps provided rather than transfering the fish from net to sling to retainer.

For most of my angling,

I use a pair of JRC Specialist 42” nets. The net pole comes in 2 pieces, which allows them to be packed down much shorter than a standard net pole, so they don’t take up much room in my rod holdall. For the time it takes to put up 2 nets, for me, its a much safer form of angling as 2 rods could go at once allowing you to net both fish safely.

Something which i always use

on my trips to venues that contain heavy carp is

the JRC Weigh tripod. I can accurately read the weight of my capture and have my hands free to stabilize the

fish in the weigh sling.

One of the best inventions in angling... the retention sling.

Gone are the days of using carp sacks for the short term retention of your catch. The JRC Retention Sling has a major benefit in that

it drains the water out FAST. I use mine to weigh the fish, using the

belly straps provided rather than transfering the fish from net to sling to retainer.

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With the amount of top quality fish care equipment available on the market today, there really is no excuse for poor fish welfare.JRC has developed an entire range to maximize fish protection, within everyones budget.

With the amount of top quality fish care equipment available on the market today, there really is no excuse for poor fish welfare.JRC has developed an entire range to maximize fish protection, within everyones budget.

Roy Allen

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UNDER THE RADAR

This is the latest incarnation of the awesome Radar alarm the DS Solar. The clue is kind of in the name and as you have probably realised they are the first ever solar powered bite alarm.So let’s get the boring technical bit out of the way first. Within the alarm there is a Lithium-ion accumulator that charges through the rear mounted solar cell. In laymen’s terms there is a battery that is charged by light! This means that there is sufficient power stored to last several weeks of fishing, plus the battery is constantly topped up when the solar panel is exposed to any light, this does NOT have to be bright sunshine, (good job with the weather being what it is in the UK). To allay any further fears there is even a mains charger, so if they have been stored away for some time and you want to give them an initial boost before your trip you can do. The units will also let you know via a warning signal if the battery is starting to get low...

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the Radar range of alarms has been on the market for some time now and they are gaining a great reputation of reliability and functionality. All the same features as the original DS’s are on the Solar versions, sensitivity, volume, and tone, along with the scrolling LED that latches either at the top or the bottom, depending on whether the last indication was a forward or backward movement.

My favourite function is probably the mute, that allows the adjustment of bobbins and swingers etc with out annoying every other angler on the lake. There is a night light that helps to locate the rods in the dark (and it looks flash) plus a full protection rubber cover that’s included in the price! They work with the existing Radar DSR receiver which has all the functions we have come to expect, but in addition there is an LED torch, that can also be activated by the alarms if required.

the Radar range of alarms has been on the market for some time now and they are gaining a great reputation of reliability and functionality. All the same features as the original DS’s are on the Solar versions, sensitivity, volume, and tone, along with the scrolling LED that latches either at the top or the bottom, depending on whether the last indication was a forward or backward movement.

My favourite function is probably the mute, that allows the adjustment of bobbins and swingers etc with out annoying every other angler on the lake. There is a night light that helps to locate the rods in the dark (and it looks flash) plus a full protection rubber cover that’s included in the price! They work with the existing Radar DSR receiver which has all the functions we have come to expect, but in addition there is an LED torch, that can also be activated by the alarms if required.

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I have used these alarms since before they were on sale in my role as a tester and have had a fantastic experience. They are weather proof and have all

the functions I need plus some I did not realise I needed! They have been in the South of France in mid thirty degree heat, and also in this country

during the winter in temperatures down to minus seven when I had to break the ice in the morning to reel in! When you strip it back

to the bare bones of what is required, I need to be sure when the fish of my dreams finally succumbs and picks up my bait

I want to be informed this is happening! With the DS alarms I am confident they will let me know!!!

SIMON MORRIS

All the best...

I have used these alarms since before they were on sale in my role as a tester and have had a fantastic experience. They are weather proof and have all

the functions I need plus some I did not realise I needed! They have been in the South of France in mid thirty degree heat, and also in this country

during the winter in temperatures down to minus seven when I had to break the ice in the morning to reel in! When you strip it back

to the bare bones of what is required, I need to be sure when the fish of my dreams finally succumbs and picks up my bait

I want to be informed this is happening! With the DS alarms I am confident they will let me know!!!

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When trying to design the ultimate bivvy, there are certainly a number of variables that need to be considered, ease of erection, material, is it light-weight and adaptable and can it stand up to the everyday rigours that carp fishing throws at it...

ENTER THE TX2G

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TX2G is a multi-purpose shelter that ticks all the boxes and then some, designed around the ever popular pram-hood style shelter but with a twist. We use the name multi-purpose for a reason; this shelter can be used in many guises:

Traditional bivvy system with peakTraditional bivvy system without peakOpen fronted bivvy system with peakOpen fronted bivvy system without peakAdd a winter-skin for added protectionZip out the original door to turn this shelter into a two man.

With a compact design and less ribs than most, this shelter can be stripped out so that it is ultra light-weight, it can fit into a standard quiver with ease and makes the perfect all-round shelter Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.When designing this awesome shelter the guys at JRC took materials to a New level, as standard with most JRC shelters we took the finest light-weight aluminium for the ribs then proceeded to dress it with 20,000mm Hydrostatic Head material (Yes that’s right 20,000). This material is super waterproof and moisture just beads off it and runs away! The TX package is a comprehensive one, supplied as standard full tension bars, a light-weight but heavy duty ground sheet and pegs.

48 /JRCfishingtackle

20000mm HH materialTwo rib structure with 2 break points on the poles

Huge back and front ventsSuper strong PVC groundsheet / lightweight

Full zip out frontThree door option green/mozzi/clear with pillar box door option

Heavy duty quick zipsFront, rod retaining straps

Including heavy duty peg set & carry bagIn-line tension bars

Weight: 8.5kg

Recognising that times at present are some what strained in the cash department we have managed to keep the price to what some might say amazing, at £199.99 we can honestly say that this bivvy is by far the best on the market in any price bracket.

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Along with very few other carp companies still around today, JRC began its life as JRC Products Ltd back in the 90s, from its original manufacturing base in Hatfield Peverel, Essex. After a lengthy period of development and set up work, J R C Products Ltd was registered on 19 Feb 1992, and was founded by David Rudin, William Jelbart, Jeffrey Powell, and John Campbell.

JRC HISTORY LESSON...

The business was managed and run by co-founder Jeff Powell until he left the business in 2007, after selling it to global giant Shakespeare-K2, a sporting goods manufacturing and sales business based in Redditch, Worcs.

The business was initially started with bed chair design and development, as Jeff Powell was so disappointed with the lack of practical and reliable bed chair options available to serious carp anglers at the time. This led to the production of a single Cocoon bed chair, followed by the famous light and low-level Stealth bed chair. The success of these products spawned a small range of both bed chairs and chairs within a few years. This in turn, led to the design and production of a wider range of products including Bivvies and Brollies, such as the legendary STI Twin Skin Bivvies, and the Stealth Brolly systems, both of which remain to this day in updated guises; having really stood the test of both time, and the market place.

In the early days up to around 2002, the range consisted of a focused mix of product including shelters, beds, chairs,

luggage, un-hooking mats, weigh slings, mats, landing nets, stainless bank-ware, pods, baiting tools; and even the show-

stopping Skyliner carbon rod range.

Along with very few other carp companies still around today, JRC began its life as JRC Products Ltd back in the 90s, from its original manufacturing base in Hatfield Peverel, Essex. After a lengthy period of development and set up work, J R C Products Ltd was registered on 19 Feb 1992, and was founded by David Rudin, William Jelbart, Jeffrey Powell, and John Campbell.

JRC HISTORY LESSON...

The business was managed and run by co-founder Jeff Powell until he left the business in 2007, after selling it to global giant Shakespeare-K2, a sporting goods manufacturing and sales business based in Redditch, Worcs.

The business was initially started with bed chair design and development, as Jeff Powell was so disappointed with the lack of practical and reliable bed chair options available to serious carp anglers at the time. This led to the production of a single Cocoon bed chair, followed by the famous light and low-level Stealth bed chair. The success of these products spawned a small range of both bed chairs and chairs within a few years. This in turn, led to the design and production of a wider range of products including Bivvies and Brollies, such as the legendary STI Twin Skin Bivvies, and the Stealth Brolly systems, both of which remain to this day in updated guises; having really stood the test of both time, and the market place.

In the early days up to around 2002, the range consisted of a focused mix of product including shelters, beds, chairs,

luggage, un-hooking mats, weigh slings, mats, landing nets, stainless bank-ware, pods, baiting tools; and even the show-

stopping Skyliner carbon rod range.

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The whole facility was based near Diss in Norfolk for several years, before being integrated into the Redditch facility in 2008, where it remains to this day, as part of the new Pure Fishing portfolio of leading fishing brands. The warehousing moved in 2010, down to a state of the art facility in Portishead, Bristol, where the stocks are managed along with Berkley, Abu Garcia, Shakespeare, Penn, Mitchell, Spiderwire and now even Owner hooks.

The brand focus is very much about developing and producing well designed gear that will stand up to years of use on the bank, but be within the reach of all anglers, thanks to a philosophy of ‘good, better and best’ in class. This caters for the entry level, intermediate and seasoned professional anglers alike; and is represented by its Contact, Cocoon and Extreme ranges, that run throughout the core ranges of shelters, bed chairs, chairs and luggage that remain at the heart of the business today.

Development continues apace in 2013, some 21 years later, via a robust product development and innovation process, through the work of all the JRC Team at home and across Europe, to provide the best in class gear for the informed carper. This work has resulted in the launch of many new items, including our new Extreme range of rods, barrow luggage and even high tech gear such as our Radar DSi and Radar DS Solar alarms. We have many exciting new products in the pipeline for launch later this year, including a few for the early Summer, so watch out for these in later editions of this Ezine.

Get out there, and be lucky!

Stewart Downing Head Consultant

Stewart Downing was appointed as General Manager in 2005, and was responsible for all activities within the business, from product design to procurement, warehousing and sales management when Jeff finally left the business. Stewart worked closely with Terry Hearn and Dave Lane to improve and expand the existing range of products, and this led to the launch of the STI Brolly system, one of the biggest selling shelter systems to this day, along with the Quad Bivvy and STI-R systems to name just a few.

Development continues apace in 2013, some 21 years later, via a robust product development and innovation process, through the work of all the JRC Team at home and across Europe, to provide the best in class gear for the informed carper. This work has resulted in the launch of many new items, including our new Extreme range of rods, barrow luggage and even high tech gear such as our Radar DSi and Radar DS Solar alarms. We have many exciting new products in the pipeline for launch later this year, including a few for the early Summer, so watch out for these in later editions of this Ezine.

Get out there, and be lucky!

Stewart Downing Head Consultant

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Fishing

in France

Keith Standley

Firstly there is some preparation and items you will need prior to making this move, firstly if you intend to drive over there the following is a list of items that you will need.- A GB sticker if this is not

present on your UK number plates- First Aid Kit- Vehicle Bulb Kit- Reflective Jerkins (one for every member travelling)- Alcohol Breathalyser- A vehicle breakdown triangle- You must also have a current passport- A European Health Insurance Card- A upgraded breakdown card (RAC/AA)- Euros

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I have been fishing in France for approaching 25 years now, having been heavily involved in running carp trips from the UK, to venues such as Crystal Waters. This magnificent venue is 80 miles South East of Paris, in the famous Burgandy region; and I have been fortunate enough to be involved with the management of this venue for 5 years now. During this time, both the water, and its fish, have really come on; and it now boasts a very healthy stock of pristine carp, with fish nudging close to 70lbs now. If you are a carp angler, who has not yet experienced French carp fishing, then I can only say “where have you been?” Time for all that to change hopefully? I really hope that this advice proves useful to you one day, so you too can experience the best that carp fishing in France has to offer.Just remember the list of essential items for travelling that I have put together, plus, a big landing net!

Keith Standley

BOOK NOW FOR 2014!Keith Standley

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ften there are times when I want the hook bait to have that little bit more attraction than the free offerings that I feed into the swim. There are a number of ways to do this, but a quick and easy method is glugging baits in the gulp dips. There are dips available to match the flavoured range of boilies although I will often opt for a completely different dip to the flavour of the boilie, trying to offer something that is different to the next anglers thinking...

O

ften there are times when I want the hook bait to have that little bit more attraction than the free offerings that I feed into the swim. There are a number of ways to do this, but a quick and easy method is glugging baits in the gulp dips. There are dips available to match the flavoured range of boilies although I will often opt for a completely different dip to the flavour of the boilie, trying to offer something that is different to the next anglers thinking...

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Whien stalking, I favour fishing with bits of boilies and feed with crushed and crumbed baits rather than use whole baits. This encourages the smaller fish to get a free meal which in turn attracts the larger fish to the party. The plastic buckets facilitate my style of angling, giving me containers to hold crushed and chopped bait along with a container to add liquids.

The smile says it all, satisfyingly so when you’re trying to think outside the box. A 20mm bottom bait trimmed down to an

irregular shape with a glugged tipper was this fishes downfall, perhaps something a little bit

different to what normally gets fished, then again perhaps not.

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A B COUNTRY SPORTS http://www.abcountrysports.co.uk/A M HOBBS FIREARMS LTD http://www.amhobbsfirearms.co.uk/ANGLERS CORNER - LLANELLI http://www.anglerscorner.co.uk/ANGLING DIRECT LTD http://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/ANGLING SUPPLIES http://www.pauls-angling-supplies.co.uk/ARUN ANGLING LTD http://www.arunangling.co.uk/CARNON DOWNS GARDEN CENTRE http://www.cdgc.co.uk/CHAPMANS ANGLING LIMITED http://www.chapmansangling.co.uk/CHESHIRE FISHING LTD http://www.cheshirefishing.co.uk/CLIMAX FISHING TACKLE http://www.climaxtackle.com/COTSWOLD ANGLING http://www.cotswoldangling.net/DANSON ANGLING http://www.dansononline.co.uk/DROITWICH ANGLING CENTRE LIMITED http://www.droitwichangling.co.uk/ENGLAND ANGLING http://www.englandangling.co.uk/ERICS ANGLING CENTRE LTD http://www.ericsangling.co.uk/FISHING REPUBLIC http://www.fishingrepublic.net/FISHING TACKLE DIRECT FISHING TACKLE DIRECTFISHTASTIC TACKLE http://www.fishtastictackle.com/FISHTEC http://www.fishtec.co.uk/FOSTERS OF BIRMINGHAM http://www.fostersofbirmingham.co.uk/GEO BROWNS LTD http://www.brownsangling.co.uk/GERRYS OF WIMBLEDON http://www.gerrysofwimbledon.co.uk/GO OUTDOORS http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/fishingGONE FISHING-CANVEY ISLAND http://www.gonefishinguk.co.uk/HAMPSHIRE TACKLE http://www.hampshiretackle.com/HANSFORDS http://www.hansfords.co.uk/HAREFIELD TACKLE WPP http://www.harefieldtackleonline.co.uk/HINDERS OF SWINDON LTD http://www.hinders.co.uk/HOOTYS SUPPLIES http://hootys.co.uk/HULL ANGLING CENTRE http://www.hullanglingcentre.co.uk/J & K TACKLE LTD http://www.jktackle.co.uk/J P TACKLE http://www.jp-tackle.co.uk/JMC TACKLE http://www.jmctackleonline.co.uk/JOHNSON ROSS TACKLE Ltd http://johnsonrosstackle.co.uk/KENT TACKLE (HAWKHURST) LIMITED http://www.kenttackle.com/

LATHAMS OF P H LTD http://www.qdstores.co.uk/LEASTONE LIMITED T/A DAVIES ANGLING http://www.davies-angling.co.uk/LEIGH TACKLE & BAIT http://www.leightackle.co.uk/LESLIES OF LUTON LTD http://www.leslies-luton.co.uk/MANOR FARM FISHING http://www.manorfarmfishing.co.uk/store/MARK II ANGLING http://www.mark2angling.co.uk/MULLARKEYS DIRECT LTD http://www.mullarkeys.co.uk/NORTH WEST A C LTD http://www.nwac.co.uk/P & T BAIT & TACKLE LTD http://www.ptbaitsandtackle.com/PICKERINGS OF BURSLEM http://www.pickeringsfishingtackle.co.uk/POINGDESTRES ANGLING CENTRE http://www.poingdestres.co.uk/POLEGATE ANGLING CENTRE http://www.polegateangling.co.uk/QUAKER TACKLE LTD http://www.quakerlanetackle.com/RINGWOOD TACKLE LIMITED http://www.ringwoodtackle.co.uk/ROD & LINE http://www.rodnline.com/ROVERS TACKLE SHOP http://www.roversfishingtackle.co.uk/SHELTONS OF PETERBOROUGH LTD http://www.sheltonsfishing.co.uk/SOMERSET ANGLING http://www.somersetangling.com/SOUTH DOWNS NURSERIES http://www.south-downs.co.uk/SPORTSMAIL LTD T/A http://www.harrissportsmail.com/STAPELEY ANGLING CENTRE http://www.stapeleyangling.co.uk/TACKLE BOX - DARTFORD http://www.tacklebox.co.uk/TACKLE SAVER http://www.tacklesaver.co.uk/TACKLE UK https://www.tackleuk.co.uk/TACKLE UP-FELIXSTOWE http://www.tackle-up.co.uk/TED CARTER http://www.tedcarter.co.uk/THE FISHING WAREHOUSE LTD http://www.fishingwarehouseshop.co.uk/THE RANGE - CDS SUPERSTORES http://www.therange.co.uk/THE TACKLE COMPANY http://www.thetacklecompany.co.uk/THE TACKLE EXCHANGE http://www.tacklexchange.co.uk/TODBER MANOR FISHERIES https://www.todbermanor.co.uk/TOTAL ANGLING LTD http://www.totalangling.co.uk/TOTAL TACKLE LTD http://www.total-fishing-tackle.com/VEALS FISHING TACKLE LTD http://www.vealsfishingtackle.com/WILLOW GRANGE LTD http://www.willowgrange.com/

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